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WRITE A NOVEL IN NOVEMBER !

“November is the most disagreeable month in the whole year ” observes Meg March in Louisa May Alcott’s ‘Little Women’. This is the reason why NaNoWriMo is scheduled in November “to more fully take advantage of the miserable weather “. What better time to work on that idea for a novel you’ve had on your mind for so long which has been put aside owing to social commitments, writer’s block or just because of the ” maybe later syndrome”.

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, from November 1 to November 30 every year. Within 30 days all you’ve to do is write a novel spanning 50,000 words or the first 50,000 words of a novel, depending on the size of the novel. NaNoWriMo was started in the US by freelance writer Chris Baty in 1991 with 21 participants. From then on the project witnessed an unprecedented growth with almost 400,000 participants by 2015, from across the globe. If you enjoy the idea of writing a novel then all you’ve to do is sign up on the NaNoWriMo site with a title and start writing your novel at the rate of about 1667 words per day. You can sign up for free and start writing in any genre – from historical novel to fanfiction. If you’ve 50,000 words by 11: 59 pm on November 30 you’re declared a winner. You don’t necessarily need to pay attention to quality or editing, you just have to submit the first draft. The only other rules are that it should be something new, not something started some time ago and it should be written by a single person.The privacy of your work is protected as only word count is verified. Participants are given prep talks by famous writers and tips to overcome writer’s block and local meetings are also organized. It a creates a platform for interaction and exchange of creative ideas for aspiring writers.

At the end of 30 days, you’ll have a novel or at least a framework for one, in your hands and self-satisfaction of having finished it. Sponsors will also offer other rewards to winners. The ‘ wrimos ‘ (as the participants are called) just need to put down enough words to meet the deadline. This a great way for aspiring writers to build confidence in their craft and overcome the difficulties of writing a novel. While it may not be polished or complete it will grant you a sense of fulfillment. So take up the challenge of writing a novel in November. As the tagline of NaNoWriMo goes maybe ” the world needs your novel ” after all.